100 years of hoops and counting

It is 100 to the day since QPR played their first ever match at Loftus Road and the R’s boss will be hoping for a better result tomorrow.

In front of a crowd of 5,000, the Hoops fell to a 3-0 defeat against West Ham on 8 September 1917.

The slightly-less glamorous Ipswich Town will be the visitors tomorrow as the Hoops commemorate their centenary on South Africa Road with a host of former QPR legends joining the celebration in W12.

When Ian Holloway was recently asked about some of his fondest memories at Loftus Road he reminisced about when Rangers put three past the usually formidable Arsenal defence consisting of Tony Adams and Steve Bould with Seaman between the sticks in 1995.

The Bristolian was playing in the middle of the park that day in a side that included R’s legends Les Ferdinand, Alan McDonald, Andy Impey and Trevor Sinclair.

The current crop of players have a long way to go before being considered in those terms. Smithies has proved to be a quality buy from Huddersfield and is the closest to entering the pantheon at QPR but some real success on the pitch is needed for that to happen. Success in the form of promotion to the Premier League, ideally.

What is standing in the way of that objective becoming a reality? Nothing but QPR’s fragile state of mind when they concede goals.

It is a concern as the season unfolds. So where is that historic steely resolve hiding?

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and unless specifically stated are not necessarily those of Hammersmith & Fulham Council.